Putting Ethics and Public Engagement at the Center of Psychedelics Exploration

Psychedelics research at UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) is framed as needing ethics and public engagement, not just scientific discovery. On November 7, 2025, the BCSP and the Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public convened 38 participants for a workshop for psychedelic basic scientists focused on biological mechanisms. The workshop examined how diverse perspectives and disciplines can shape research priorities, and how incentive structures and operational environments influence basic science. A recurring theme was doing research with communities rather than just about them, integrating values like equity, reciprocity, and humility into upstream work. Sessions included reflexivity about how researchers backgrounds shape methods and audiences, plus discussions from speakers on psychedelic inquiry through public health, how geographic and sociocultural contexts shape plant medicine stewardship, and how Indigenous research ethics such as relational accountability and reciprocity should inform psychedelic research relationships with knowledge, community, and plants. Participants then worked through ethical dilemmas in breakouts and shared actions for building values-led ethical frameworks going forward.